# Sign Regulations in Dartmouth Town, Massachusetts

Sign permit rules, size and height limits, setbacks, and ordinance citations for Dartmouth Town, Massachusetts, compiled by PermitPal from the jurisdiction's published municipal code.

- **Jurisdiction:** Dartmouth Town, Massachusetts (MA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/massachusetts/dartmouth-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/30909288#30909288)

## At a glance

Dartmouth Town, Massachusetts regulates 17 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the Neighborhood Business District, Village Business District, Limited Business District zoning district are capped at 8 ft tall and 8 sq ft per side, with a No part of any sign may be less than 5 ft from any property line (§ 375-25.7A); generally 10 ft from ROW for freestanding per § 375-25.9A(2) setback (Sec. § 375-25.12C, § 375-25.6A(3)). Most commercial signs in Dartmouth Town require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Single Residence District, General Residence District | 3 | — | 12 sq ft per face; double-faced | — |
| Neighborhood Business District, Village Business District, Limited Business District | 6 | 8 ft | No more than 30% of awning area and total not exceeding 8 sq ft per building | — |
| Bliss Corner Mixed Use District | 6 | 12 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| General Business District, Office Park District, Maritime Industrial District, Limited Industrial District, Office Industrial District, General Industrial District | 7 | 35 ft | 32 sq ft (if within front setback or for free-standing buildings); otherwise, formula applies | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | 35 ft | 32 sq ft (other types); 10 sq ft (A-frame); 20 sq ft (flag) | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 5 zones)

### Neighborhood Business District, Village Business District, Limited Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 8 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building or 1 per building wall for free-standing buildings | On building wall | — | § 375-25.12B, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Freestanding Sign | 8 ft | 8 sq ft per side | — | No part of any sign may be less than 5 ft from any property line (§ 375-25.7A); generally 10 ft from ROW for freestanding per § 375-25.9A(2) | 1 per lot | Anchored to the ground; location per general setback requirements | — | § 375-25.12C, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Window Sign | — | 8 sq ft per business and not covering more than 25% of the window or 50% of a door window | — | — | — | Window | — | § 375-25.12D, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Message Sign | — | 8 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | — | — | § 375-25.12E, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Awning Sign | — | No more than 30% of awning area and total not exceeding 8 sq ft per building | — | — | — | On awning | — | § 375-25.12F, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 8 sq ft per side | — | — | 1 per business | Projecting 90° off building wall | — | § 375-25.12G, § 375-25.6A(3) |

### Bliss Corner Mixed Use District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business; or 1 per wall for free-standing buildings | On building wall | — | § 375-25.13A, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Freestanding Sign | 12 ft | 32 sq ft per side | — | — | 1 per lot | Anchored to the ground | — | § 375-25.13B, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Window Sign | — | 8 sq ft per business; no more than 25% of a window, 50% of a door window | — | — | — | Window | — | § 375-25.13C, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Message Sign | — | 15 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | — | — | § 375-25.13D, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Awning Sign | — | No more than 30% of awning area; up to 8 sq ft total | — | — | — | On awning | — | § 375-25.13E, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 8 sq ft per side | — | — | 1 per business | Projecting 90° off wall | — | § 375-25.13F, § 375-25.6A(3) |

### General Business District, Office Park District, Maritime Industrial District, Limited Industrial District, Office Industrial District, General Industrial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | — | 1 sq ft per side per 2 linear ft of frontage | — | No part of any sign may be less than 5 ft from any property line (§ 375-25.14D) | See formula based on frontage | — | — | § 375-25.14A, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Wall Sign | — | 32 sq ft (if within front setback or for free-standing buildings); otherwise, formula applies | — | — | See requirements | On building wall | — | § 375-25.14B, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Window Sign | — | Up to 10% of gross glazed area of building | — | — | — | Window | — | § 375-25.14C, § 375-25.6A(3) |
| Freestanding Display Sign | 35 ft | — | — | No part less than 5 ft from any property line | — | — | — | § 375-25.14D |
| Site Identification Sign (Under Construction) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per construction site | On site under construction | — | § 375-25.14E |
| Parking Facility Directional Sign | — | 16 sq ft per sign | — | — | — | Parking facility | — | § 375-25.14F |
| Electronic Message Center (EMC) Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 structure per premise; 2 faces max | — | — | § 375-25.9I |

## Prohibited signs in Dartmouth Town

- No off-premise commercial signs.
- No roof signs.
- No signs that are moving, mobile, or revolving, either in whole or in part.
- No strings, streamers, flags, pennants, revolving or flashing lights, spinners, projecting image signs, or other similar devices attached or strung across, upon, over, or along any premises or building, whether as part of a sign or not.
- No inflatable signs, tethered or simulated balloons, or blow-up figures.
- No signs painted on the exterior surface of any wall or roof.
- No signs, letters, posters, and advertisements attached to any tree, utility pole, or natural feature on any street, highway, or right-of-way.
- No permanent signs placed on vehicles or trailers parked or located for the primary purpose of displaying the signs, and from which no other business is being conducted. (Exception: Lettering on buses, taxis, or other vehicles, including food trucks, operating in the normal course of business.)
- No advertising cloth, vinyl, or paper banners or signs of similar character suspended or hung on any property, except for temporary banners.
- No sign shall be erected within the right-of-way lines of a public or private street, nor placed closer than five feet from such right-of-way lines or property lines of abutting properties.
- No sign illumination shall be intermittent, nor have traveling, flashing or animated lighting, nor rotate.
- No person shall affix any bill, placard, or poster nor paint, draw or write any words, figures or devices upon any property in the town bordering on the highway on land not their own without permission of the owner or lawful controller, nor upon any town property without consent of the Selectpersons.
- No person, other than a duly authorized agent of the Town, shall remove, deface, or otherwise obstruct any Town safety sign, barricade or warning device placed for public safety.

## Signs exempt from permit in Dartmouth Town

- Signs required to be erected or maintained pursuant to federal, state, or local law, such as notices related to public health and safety, or official traffic signs required by a law, regulation, or by-law.
- Highway directional or traffic control signs required or allowed by law.
- Signs exempt under Massachusetts General Laws c. 93, Section 32.
- Any sign inside a building that is not a window sign.
- Government signs, the copy and message of signs, product dispensers, point of purchase displays, scoreboards on athletic fields, gravestones, religious symbols other than flags, display of street numbers, or commemorative plaques.
- Signs relating to any political election, candidate or issue.
- Building markers that only include building name, date of construction, or historical data on an historical site, provided there is only one per building and the sign does not exceed six square feet.
- Political, ideological and religious flags or insignia, provided they are not used for commercial promotion, display, or as an inducement to promote or attract attention to a particular business or person, do not exceed 60 square feet in area, and are flown from a pole not more than 40 feet in height.
- Nameplate signs on private residences that do not exceed one square foot in display area.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Permit required: Except as otherwise provided or for signs indicating occupant or property for sale/to-let (when lawfully exempt), all signs visible from public or private ways or parks require a permit issued by the Building Commissioner.
- Political signs and signs expressing an opinion or sentiment in the exercise of free speech are allowed without a building permit by the owner or person in control of the property (with conditions).
- Parking facility signs that provide directions to roads or businesses, or that provide traffic directions (not business advertising), must be approved by the Planning Board as part of a Site Plan Review under Article 24 of the Zoning By-Laws. Amendments for such signage follow the same process limited to sign approval.
- Temporary event signs may be allowed only by approval from the Board of Selectmen.

## Full detail

This page publishes an overview of every zoning district plus a sample of 3 districts in full. Complete zone-by-zone requirements for all 5 zoning districts in Dartmouth Town — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Dartmouth+Town+MA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-dartmouth-town

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